How to Set Up WhatsApp Business: Profile, Catalog and Auto-Replies

Short answer

WhatsApp Business is a free app for small companies. The basic setup takes an evening and comes down to six steps: profile, catalog, labels, greeting and away messages, quick replies, short link. Almost everything lives in the app settings under "Business tools".

Before you start: which number

• One number works either in regular WhatsApp or in WhatsApp Business. When you switch on the same phone, the app offers to move your chats.
• Use a dedicated work number, not an employee's personal one: if that person leaves, customer conversations stay with the company.
• You can link a computer and other devices to the account, so replying from a laptop is easy.

Step 1. Business profile

The profile is the first thing a customer sees when opening the chat. Fill in every field:

• name — the way customers know you, no extra words or emojis;
• category — tells people what you do;
• description — one or two sentences: what you do, for whom, where;
• address and business hours — the hours are used later by the away message;
• website, email, social links;
• logo — square and readable in a small circle.

Step 2. Catalog

The catalog shows products and services right inside the chat. For each item, add a photo, name, price, short description, website link and item code. Group items into collections: "New", "Delivery", "Services".

Customers can open the catalog from your profile, build a cart and send it to you as a message. Managers, in turn, share an item card in a couple of taps instead of describing it by hand.

Step 3. Labels

Labels are colored tags for chats. The app has a default set, but it is better to match it to your sales process:

• New customer
• Waiting for reply
• Awaiting payment
• Paid
• Returning customer

Filter chats by label and within a minute you see who needs a payment reminder and whom to thank.

Step 4. Greeting and away messages

The greeting message is sent automatically when a customer writes for the first time or after a long pause in the conversation. A good greeting is short and suggests the next step:

Hello! This is Example Store. Tell us what you are looking for or open the catalog in our profile. We reply from 9:00 to 19:00.

The away message can be sent always, on a custom schedule, or only outside the business hours from your profile. For both messages you choose the audience: everyone, only people not in your contacts, or specific people.

Be honest: don't promise "we reply in 5 minutes" if nobody answers on weekends.

Step 5. Quick replies

Quick replies are templates you call with / in the input field. Create them for recurring questions:

• /price — prices and terms;
• /delivery — delivery and timing;
• /pay — payment methods;
• /address — address and landmark.

You can attach a photo or video to a template. Reread the texts regularly: an outdated price in a template quickly turns into a dispute.

Step 6. Short link and QR code

Customers don't need to save your number — a link is enough. Business tools include a short link with a QR code and a prefilled message. You can also build the link yourself: the number in international format without "+", spaces or dashes:

https://wa.me/998901234567?text=I%20want%20to%20ask%20about%20delivery

Spaces in the text become %20. Put the link in your social media bio, on the website, in your Telegram channel, on packaging and business cards.

Common mistakes

• a wall-of-text greeting — customers skip it and ask their question anyway;
• a catalog without prices or with outdated items — creates extra questions;
• labels created but never applied — then they are just colored dots;
• a manager's personal number — the whole conversation history leaves with them.

When you have many operators, need CRM integration, a chatbot or bulk notifications, the app is no longer enough — the next step is the WhatsApp Business Platform with its API.